Writing persuasive copy: A one-day course

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Writing persuasive copy: A one-day course

By The Guardian Masterclasses

Date and time

Thursday, August 2, 2018 · 10am - 4pm GMT+1

Location

The Guardian

Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9GU United Kingdom

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

Description

Learn the skills necessary to write and commission copy for different media by understanding your audience and your goals.

Great copywriting starts with an understanding of your audience, your aims and your preferred media. Led by professional copywriter Barnaby Benson, this highly practical and interactive masterclass unveils the thinking process behind persuasive copy and focuses on how to create and adhere to a brief.

Encouraging you to think about your copy strategically, Barnaby will show you the difference in tone and content for various media, including websites, emails, blogs and newsletters.

Mixing theory and practice, you will work on your own copywriting project you have brought along to the class, with opportunities for feedback and advice from Barnaby and your fellow attendees.

Content

  • Why having a brief matters
  • How to write for different media including emails, newsletters, websites, advertisements and marketing materials
  • How to profile your audience
  • Establishing your goals
  • Refining the message
  • Ten persuasive writing techniques
  • Top five copywriting mistakes and how to avoid them
  • How to brief copywriters and review their work
  • How to make a living as a copywriter
  • Practical exercise: attendees work on a copywriting project they plan to write or commission, with opportunities to share their work with the group and receive feedback
  • Q&A and group discussion

This course is for you if...

  • You’re a journalist or creative writer who wants to learn how to apply your skills to copywriting
  • You’re a small business owner or marketing professional who wants to improve the quality of your communication materials and product descriptions
  • You work in business and want to learn how to commission copywriters and review their work
  • You work for a charity or non-profit organisation and want to learn how to write or commission written materials

Course preparation

  • Ahead of the course, attendees should have in mind a piece of copy they want to write or commission from a copywriter, eg a sales email, a blog post or a job application. They should also have an understanding of the audience they want to engage with through their copy.

Tutor profile

Barnaby Benson has been a professional copywriter for over 15 years. He owns and manages one of London’s leading copywriting agencies whose clients include Next, Deloitte, Novartis, HSBC, O2 and many others. Barnaby is trusted by many global brand consultancies to write copy for their clients including The Partners, Brand Union and Landor (all WPP Group) and Imagination. Before writing, he was an account director in advertising. Barnaby and his colleagues also run a blog on copywriting.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible - but please contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Organized by

Welcome to Guardian Masterclasses – a unique programme of learning embedded within one of the world's most forward-thinking media organisations.

We offer a broad range of short and long courses across a variety of disciplines from creative writing, journalism, photography and design, film and digital media, music and cultural appreciation.

Harnessing the expertise and specialisms within the organisation, our courses are led by first class and award winning guardian professionals whilst also drawing on the skills and expertise of other leading figures at the forefront of the creative and digital industries.

The programme is aimed at anyone interested in personal or professional development whether that be refining your skills, focusing your ambition or simply broadening your mind and gaining inspiration.

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